Paul Quinichette (: The Vice Pres

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Although much has been said and written to suggest that tenor man Paul Quinichette was merely a Lester Young clone, down to the “Vice Pres’ that became his moniker, the fact remains that Quinichette was really a vital player who just happened to work a few of Young’s more popular devices into his own vernacular. While his Prestige albums with Coltrane and his own Basie-styled dates for same form the core of his precious work on record, the material assembled on The Vice Pres fills in a bit more of the big picture with sessions cut between 1951 and 1954. Also included here are the eight tracks that appeared on the EmArcy 10” Sequel and another six alternate takes.

A 1951 date finds Quinichette’s strapping horn as part of an organ combo that included Bill Doggett and guitarist Freddie Green. This is the kind of early R&B stuff that Mercury would later turn out by such mainstays as Dinah Washington and Eddie Chamblee. Two large group sessions in 1952 take on a Basie tinge and the man himself even sits in for several numbers both as a pianist and organist. Representative of the lot, “The Hook” is an aptly named line that recalls such flag-wavers as “Flying Home.” Small groups return for the dates in 1953 and 1954 that round out this package.

Released in limited quantities, The Vice Pres will give fans of swing music and early R&B much to savor. Maybe the Quinichette legacy will also grab a bit more of the authority that seemed to elude the man while he was on this planet.